Cessna 182P N25HD

Summary

On 10 February 2011 at about 16:40 local time, a Cessna 182P registered N25HD was involved in an accident near Lincoln Park, New Jersey, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 February 2011 at 16:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Lincoln Park, New Jersey, United States

Coordinates

40.9475, -74.3144

Aircraft

Cessna 182P

Registration

N25HD

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Morristown → Lincoln Park

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA11LA139

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection (removal of water contamination from the fuel system), which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was descending on the downwind leg of the landing pattern. As the pilot adjusted power to arrest the descent, the engine did not respond. The engine produced two short bursts of power when the pilot used the fuel primer; however, the engine would not continue running. The pilot noted that he was not going to reach the runway as he turned into the final leg of the landing pattern and elected to impact a tree to avoid hitting a building. A postaccident examination of the wreckage did not reveal any mechanical discrepancies that would have prevented normal operation of the airplane or its systems. The engine started, accelerated, and produced rated horsepower when tested. The postaccident examination found ice and evidence of water in the gascolator fuel bowl shortly after the accident. A recovered engine digital monitor recorded the accident flight and captured the last 25 seconds. The monitor indicated that the fuel flow dropped to zero and the exhaust gas temperature on all cylinders dropped sharply, consistent with ignition stopping abruptly, likely due to the introduction of water into the fuel system. The engine compartment was heated before the flight, the temperature was minus 5 degrees Celsius at the time of the preflight, and no water was noted when the gascolator was drained before the flight. The accident flight was flown on the left wing fuel tank. The pilot stated that, during the preflight, he had difficulty sumping the left wing fuel tank and noted a few drops of water when the sump valve did function; he did not resump the tank. An Airworthiness Directive (AD) that was established to prevent power loss or engine stoppage due to water contamination had been performed on the airplane. The AD stated that, after rocking the wings, the pilot should "Drain and catch the contents of the fuel gascolator, wing, and (if equipped) reservoir tank sumps and check for water contamination. If water is found...repeat...until no additional water is detected, or drain the entire airplane fuel system." About a week before the accident flight, the airplane was washed inside a hangar and afterward moved to the ramp; it had not been flown since the wash.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.